Uttam hits back at Harish Rao; says BRS leader peddling lies

Hyderabad: In a sharp rebuttal to former minister T Harish Rao's accusations of government inaction and betrayal on irrigation issues, Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy dismissed the claims as a "continued tirade of lies."

Reddy highlighted the state government’s aggressive legal stance against Andhra Pradesh's controversial Polavaram-Banakacherla project, pointing to a recently filed writ petition in the Supreme Court as evidence of the government's commitment to protecting Telangana's water interests.

The minister emphasised that the Telangana government has taken decisive steps to challenge what it views as unlawful diversions of Godavari waters. "This is for the information of all that the writ petition filed by the Telangana government is WP 1258 and is listed on January 5, before the Chief Justice of India in Court 1, Item 11," Reddy stated. He argued that this move demonstrates the administration's proactive fight against the project, directly countering Rao's narrative of negligence and complicity with Andhra Pradesh.

The rebuttal was made in direct response to Harish Rao claim that the Central Water Commission (CWC) has granted permission for a 200 TMC diversion of Godavari waters putting Telangana State at the receiving end. The minister has asserted that the Ministry of Jal Shakti has not only withheld permission for construction of the Polavaram-Banakacherla link project but has also refused to allow the Andhra Pradesh government to even prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR).

The ministry explicitly communicated to the Andhra Pradesh government that preparation of the DPR cannot proceed without in-principle approval. As of now, no such in-principle consent has been granted for the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of the Polavaram-Banakacherla link project.

Harish Rao allegations are false and baseless. There is no CWC approval. Please find an attached communication pertaining to the CWC stand on the project dated dec,4,2025.